Hello friends,
I don’t use that word lightly – since I started this page I think of each of you as a friend. Some of you interact with messages that warm my heart. Some send me personal messages that bring tears to my eyes because you trust me with your thoughts.

I haven’t written ANYTHING in a few days… Vacation first, and then some personal things that have kept me tied up and preoccupied. Tonight I have something to say. I’ll be posting this on the website also – barbarastewartwrites.com – you may want to go follow or bookmark that page if you like being part of this journey. More on that in a few minutes…

I’m a work in progress – As a writer and as a person. I was suggested a book to read to help with the writer part of this person
🙂
Rise of the Machines – Humans Against Authors in a Digital World, by Kristen Lamb. It’s a book to learn to be more of a lot of things in the book world. I’ve been making notes and bookmarking pages because there is some GREAT information about ME AS A WRITER (or you if you’re a writer).

One of the things that’s sticking in my head right now, is keeping it personal. The book suggests that some of us (writers) try to hard to connect with the writer part of our life and forget that you ARE FRIENDS – we forget to share ourselves with you. I work hard to KEEP connections when you are gracious enough to add me to your life, but as I read this book, I realized that I’ve been doing some things wrong.

If you are my friend I shouldn’t alienate you on a separate page that’s just for Barbara Stewart Author – “she’s” not a separate entity – she is me… And I want to move the author away – because you should know ME.

That said… The facebook author page  will be going away. I realized that of the 2640 LIKES I have on this page I really only know a couple hundred or so of you. I’ve participated in contests and giveaways that you had to LIKE the page to enter. I’ve decided I won’t be doing that any more. I want you to LIKE me because of who I am and if you don’t know me that will be hard. There are only a couple of handfuls of you who participate on the page, so the LIKES don’t feel real.

A lot of my FRIENDS gather on this page where we share personal things – https://www.facebook.com/groups/223880781134916/
If you LIKE ME – ask to come along for the ride. We talk about books here – and music, and books <3
And if you’d like, be my friend at https://www.facebook.com/barbara.s.stewart.9 too!

Now, let me tell you who I am…
I am a hardworking wife who is devoted to her husband – first.
I look at faith on a much more personal basis than some, but I BELIEVE, and I talk to God every day – I PRAY! I am a caring employee who sometimes takes my job too seriously. I need to LIGHTEN UP, but I BELIEVE IN WHAT I DO – I believe in the mission and the values that my job stands for – but I admit, sometimes I need to LIGL! I( know what it means) 🙂 I’m not a mom, but I relate to your posts about your children because I am an aunt, and I’ve been a daughter!

I am a writer. That’s new to me in the last couple of years. I was told a while back that I needed to define my writing, and I decided that I write LOVE STORIES FROM MY HEART. My books will always be a love story. A piece of my heart – my past – my family – is in every story I share with you. I’m learning that I can express myself through words, and I am trying to open the doors I’ve closed on myself – no one did it for me – so only I can open them. I am trying to write SOME story lines that are different than what you’ve already read – hesitantly!

If you want to be my friend – please – I love people!
I want to know YOU! I want to know who took the time to find me and be my FRIEND.

Thoughts from my heart,
Barbara